LANSING -- A new proposal to allocate Michigan's 16 electoral votes is muddying the waters of this year's lame duck session of the Legislature.

State Rep. Pete Lund, R-Shelby Township, introduced a new bill Thursday to change the way Michigan's electoral college votes are allocated. Under the new bill, the presidential winner of the state's popular vote would get at least 9 of the state's 16 electoral votes. The winner would receive an additional electoral vote for every 1.5% above the 50% vote mark. For instance, if the winner got 51.5% of the statewide vote, they would get 10 of the state's 16 electoral votes. If they won 53% of the statewide vote they'd get 11 electoral votes.

The rest of the electoral votes would go to the second place finisher.

The new bill is markedly different than Lund's last bill that would have awarded the votes based on congressional district. If that scenario were in place in 2012, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have gotten the majority of the state's electoral votes even though he lost badly to President Barack Obama in the state's popular vote.

Lund said he wants the bill in order to make Michigan more relevant in presidential election years. Because the state has voted reliably Democratic in the last several presidential election cycles, neither Romney nor Obama spent much time in the state during the last campaign season.

"We're trying to find something to make it work for Michigan," he said. "Candidates running for president currently don't feel the need to come to Michigan in order to win. This proposal would make Michigan an important state for these candidates to visit, forcing them to speak on issues affecting our state, and more importantly, create policies that benefit all Michigan residents."

If passed, Michigan would be one of only three states in the nation —Maine and Nebraska are the other two — that don't award electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis.

While some Republicans want the change, Democrats said it will rig the elections in favor of the GOP.

"Any change in the electoral college law designed to rig presidential elections in Michigan will be strongly opposed by our caucus and will be toxic to the atmosphere here in Lansing," said House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, D-Auburn Hills. "Doing it in states like Michigan that tend to vote Democrat in presidential elections and not doing it in states that vote Republican in presidential elections will still rig the overall system in favor of Republicans."

Democrats in both the House and Senate have said that movement on the electoral college bill could kill votes from them for GOP priorities like funding for road repairs.

Sharon Dolente, director of the Michigan Election Coalition, added, "Michigan has had a winner-take-all Electoral College since 1836. Any changes to the Electoral College should be made by the voters of Michigan and not the politicians who stand to gain."

Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday that he doesn't think such a bill should be taken up in the lame duck session and makes more sense closer to the next Census in 2020 when lines are redrawn.

Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, also has said he's not interested in taking up the bill in the lame duck session, but would talk with his caucus about the issue if it's passed by the House.

Democrats remain wary, especially after Richardville and Snyder said in 2012 that they weren't interested in right-to-work legislation, but it passed in lame duck without committee or public hearings.